Annual Reports/Awards
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Ruth Blom Award
The Ruth Blom Award recognizes community agencies for their outstanding partnership, support, and service to social work field education.
Ruth Blom was a student at Concordia in 1943-1944 who dedicated her life to the social work profession. After Concordia, Ruth attended Columbia University in New York and Loyola College in Chicago earning a Masters Degree in Social Work. As a social worker, she worked for the Lutheran Charities Federation in Chicago, the John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, and the Allentown Pennsylvania Hospital in Allentown, PA. She was a social worker committed to a life of faith, and to a life of helping others. According to her brother Fredrick Blom, Ruth maintained a high affection for Concordia. In 1991, as she was dying of ovarian cancer, she established the Ruth Blom Scholarship at Concordia College to support social work students completing their field practicum. Since then, dozens of social work students have completed their social work degree with the support of Ruth. Ruth's brother, Fredrick Blom and his wife Margaret, currently live in Parkville, Maryland and continue to support social work students each year through the Ruth Blom Scholarship. Fred and Marge give their proud support of the inaugural Ruth Blom Award, which honors a community agency for its outstanding partnership in social work education.
Ruth Blom worked as a medical social worker for several years. The inaugural Ruth Blom Award was given to MeritCare Social Service Department for their many years working with Concordia social work students. The social work staff at MeritCare have welcomed Concordia social work students for over 25 years.